402 Productions » Bat for Lashes

11th Jan2010

NW Reviews: Podcast!

by nickwan

Don't mind Pocahontas.

Hit play and enjoy. Or. Download, hit play, then enjoy. Feedback always appreciated.

[powerpress]http://www.402productions.com/podcasts/NWReviews-01-January12th.mp3[/powerpress]

Is the intro too much? Too big? If you got ORIGINAL music, preferably that you personally own the content rights to, and want to let me use it for the show then shoot me an email at nick at 402 productions dot com.

Articles mentioned:

Baggy Time – Your Private Part Touched My Heart

Matthew Price – Stranded

You Me at Six – Hold Me Down

Some errors: I think I call You Me at Six’s song “Liquid Confidence” incorrectly “Liquid Courage”. Although it would take much liquid courage for me to be confident in saying You Me at Six’s newest album is a good album. And that would be false confidence.

In this episode: Me complaining about Bat for Lashes, review for Baggy Time, review for Matthew Price, review for You Me at Six, some similes for bad music, and some more Baggy Time.

Music featured:

Flirtphonic and DJ Giant Octopus – Untitled

Glee Cast – Don’t Stop Believin’

You Me at Six – Liquid Confidence

Cartel – Say Anything (Else)

The Polyphonic Spree – Hold Me Now

Baggy Time – Effect Me

Category : Interviews/Misc., Music

Tags : baggy time, Bat for Lashes, Matthew Price, podcast, you me at six

0 Comm

11th Nov2009

NW Reviews: Bat for Lashes – Two Suns

by nickwan

What is this? What are you, Bat for Lashes? It’s part sexy, part entrancing, part horrible, part amazing. I am always thrown off when those artists who “hide behind a name” end up being only one person. Like onelinedrawing for instance. That’s just Jonah Matranga. Dashboard Confessional was once just Chris Carrabba. Bat for Lashes is just some girl named Natasha Khan. Is she just some girl?

Well, from what the concept album suggests, she might be two girls. The album is based around this girl she has named Pearl, which turns out to just be herself. The concept is that there are two realms of life and although one walks in one avatar, the other avatar is just as lively somewhere in you. The story itself, yes, might be a little lame… but does that make the music lame?

Over the years, some very strong alternative pop singers have hit the scene and definitely have proverbially rocked it. Feist, for example, had a giant hit with that counting song… but she also had a wonderful album to counter the quirky poppiness that Apple loves to promote in their commercials. Does Bat for Lashes have that same effect? Maybe if this was the mid 90s. I get two vibes from this album… someone who should have made it back when the Lillith Fair was still popular with Fiona Apple and Melissa Etheridge and this other vibe of Evanesence gone synthpop. And that’s not really a great combo.

Pros: she can sing well, and the music fits the voice.

Cons: the voice she has is Amy Lee but more girl power.

People who would like this: people who LOVE musak. You know. That stuff you put on because you hate the sound of silence, but you don’t really listen to. Some people enjoy throwing on a neutral album everyone likes… like a Blink 182 album or The Beatles. Some people throw it on a shuffled playlist. Others throw on musak, that stuff no one really listens to but it’s there. This album is a musak album. It shouldn’t be there. But if it is, not many would mind it.

As far as minding this for my list? Sorry Khan, you got nice… er… vocals… but you don’t have a nice album. At least nice enough for this year. Go back in time far enough and you’ll be a queen.